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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · season · scale · snap · capital · pitcher · bat · present

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. present — a gift
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. scale — in music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. present — there
  9. capital — a city
  10. snap — to click
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. season — in sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. capital — money
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. present — the time now
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. season — of the year
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com